The real issue with paid parking at Crosstown? People aren't talking about it (but I am)

Kelsey Huse

Kelsey Huse

— 3 min read
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The real issue with paid parking at Crosstown? People aren't talking about it (but I am)
Crosstown at Sunset -- the concourse on the right side, and the parking garage that says "YOURS" on the left. It's an adaptive reuse project of an old Sears factory and a true community space (will it continue to be?)

Crosstown Concourse recently announced that the upper floors of the garage are no longer free after 6pm. What spurred this change? The opening of the new Satellite Music Hall (ran by Live Nation) across the street. And the people of Memphis are NOT happy..

The caption on the Instagram post announcing the paid parking changes.

I'll just say it – they missed the mark with this post. It's a hyper-positive message ignoring the reality that no one is ever happy when free parking shifts to paid parking. The comments are exactly as you'd expect. However, I have a different take on the situation...

This comment sums up the community sentiment on the parking situation.

Urbanists like me love to say "parking is never free". Someone is paying for construction, maintenance, and security somehow. I live around a mile away and always bike to Crosstown. That means for the past 2 years when I pay for coffee at French Truck or for my YMCA membership, I am paying for vehicle parking that I don't use. But the real problem is that most people cannot safely bike, walk, or take transit to Crosstown.

Caught biking to Crosstown by my friend AC.

So I harnessed the moment and created a new petition for people to sign onto to show their support for more mobility options to get to Crosstown which you can sign here. It collects data on how people wish they could get to Crosstown, but currently cannot. This will be sent to the mayor and Crosstown for their use in advocating for more funding and projects for the area.

I've posted on my Instagram story, Reddit, Nextdoor, and LinkedIn. At the time of writing this, there are 75 sign-ons. I still need to post a video to TikTok and Instagram which should catapult the views and signatures.

Some gems that have been submitted already are below:

I wish the 53 bus ran more frequently, had better signage especially along Summer Ave., and had better sidewalks. Crossing the street to get to the bus stop from the concourse is difficult in a wheelchair.
[Getting to Crosstown] Via bike would be nice. I wish central ave and poplar were more bike friendly ! If biking weren’t an option, bus would be my next preferred option!
I would love to be able to bike down Madison to N Cleveland, but the heat and danger on both roads makes this too tricky to do without stress.
The fact that I have to wait two hours for a bus to maybe show up is an atrocity.

I hope you'll sign on and show your support. I do not expect change to happen immediately. But for me, this is part of a larger movement to prove that people want better mobility options besides cars in Memphis.

Sign the Petition here!

By the way, I think it would be cool if Crosstown hired me to make content on how to walk, bike, or take the bus there. 😄 I can also imagine a small zine or booklet that they could provide for people at Crosstown to show them different options! They could leave bike directions at the different local bike shops. Feel free to pass these ideas along.

There is an existing Crosstown TIF and Cleveland Street Plan that you can read about in the sources below.

Sources

Crosstown Concourse. (2026, August). Parking & Groups. https://crosstownconcourse.com/parking/

@crosstownconcourse. (2026, August 20). Parking at Concourse just got a whole lot smarter [Instagram]. Retrieved https://www.instagram.com/p/DcRJQvXHF__

Dima Amro. (2026, January 4). Inside Cleveland Street’s 30-year $338M blight fight. https://dailymemphian.com/subscriber/article/50023/cleveland-street-memphis-redevelopment-plan-crosstown-concourse

Live Nation. (2026). Satellite Music Hall. https://www.satellitemusichall.com/

PGAV Planners LLC & MuniCap, Inc. (2025). 2025 Cleveland Street Corridor Community Redevelopment Plan. https://cramemphis.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Cleveland-Street-Community-Redevelopment-Plan-FINAL-2025.pdf

Todd Litman. (2025, January 16). Comprehensive Parking Supply, Cost, and Price Analysis. https://www.planetizen.com/news/2025/01/133832-comprehensive-parking-supply-cost-and-price-analysis

Vox. (2017, July 19). The high cost of free parking [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akm7ik-H_7U

Wallis Rogin. (2026, August 21). Crosstown Concourse introduces surveillance-powered parking system. https://dailymemphian.com/article/65895/crosstown-concourse-introduces-new-surveillance-powered-parking-system

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